The Catalan Republican Left (ERC) will also be on the streets of Barcelona on Thursday week. On that day, the summit between the Spanish and French governments, led by their executive leaders, prime minister Pedro Sánchez and president Emmanuel Macron, will be held in the capital of Catalonia. A date that will, however, be marked by pro-independence protests, with a joint demonstration called by the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Òmnium Cultural and the Council of the Republic. And now, with the Republicans joining in. This comes after months of pro-independence division in the streets, which all began with ERC's decision not to attend the major September 11th demonstration and which continued in the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the 1st October referendum, marked by booing of ERC leaders. Deputy general secretary and spokesperson Marta Vilalta stated today that "we will take advantage of the Spanish-French summit to make it clear that the independence movement is still very much alive". But she did not specify which of the party's officers will participate nor did she clarify whether president Pere Aragonès will be seen with Macron, simultaneous with his party's support for the protest.
After months of serious fracture in the independence movement, exile body the Council of the Republic, and the major sovereignist civil groups, the ANC and Òmnium, announced a joint mobilization against the Spanish-French summit to be held in Barcelona on Thursday 19th January. In a meeting held this Saturday, the three bodies agreed to join forces on the day that the Spanish and French leaders will meet in the Catalan capital. The three organizations also call for the mobilization of the entire social, civil and popular fabric of the country.
In the press conference after the party executive meeting this Monday, ERC wanted to dispel any doubts: "We will join with and participate in the demonstrations" to defend that the political conflict is not yet resolved and that self-determination and an amnesty must be addressed, the positioning "we have always had". In this regard, Marta Vilalta asserted that they would convey a "message" to both the Spanish government and the French executive: "Those who think or verbalize that independentism has disappeared or that there is a situation of normality are wrong. Maybe that is their wish, but it's not like that. There will be no normal situation until the repression ends and we can freely decide our future." The party's national spokesperson stated that "it has not yet been determined" which of its leaders will participate. Not even if the Catalan government will do it, arguing that that is for the government itself to clarify. She argued that it is necessary to "join together against the opponent", which is the Spanish state.
There are no "special obstacles" for budget
The year 2023 begins as the year 2022 ended: without an agreement to advance the Catalan government's budget, only a pact that brings on board the 8 votes of the left-wing Commons. Marta Vilalta argued that "we are in the final stretch of negotiations", that "right now there are no special obstacles to the immediate closing of an agreement" and that "no one would understand that it was delayed for the sake of delay or that a budget which incorporates more than 3 billion euros for the country was put at risk". Because of all this she appealed to the "responsibility" of both the Catalan Socialists (PSC) and Together for Catalonia (Junts). She reminded the Socialists that some of their proposals, such as the expansion of the El Prat airport or the Hard Rock leisure centre, are "extra-budgetary issues" and in some cases "more typical of the 20th century than the 21st". She warned them that a negotiation "is not all or nothing". She also responded to former members of the Catalan government -in Junts - who urged ERC to choose between themselves and the PSC. "We want the widest possible majority. If Junts wants to leave the country again, it is their decision". The Republicans continue to opt for a four-way deal.
Support for Lula
The first press conference of also has international context, after Sunday's storming of Brazil's main institutions by the supporters of defeated right-wing president Bolsonaro. Marta Vilalta spoke out to "condemn the assault" and transfer "all the support" to the incoming government of elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who took office on January 1st. "The raison d'être of the extreme right is the destruction of democracy and institutions. We will always support democracy and institutions", the Republican leader said in this regard.